Riu Guanacaste - All Inclusive

Excellent

Pros: This is a very large hotel with over 1000 rooms. The place was incredibly well run and a very slick and professional operation. The staff were excellent, incredibly hard working and very friendly and helpful.

Cons: The pools need chairs as not everyone can use the low sun loungers. There needs to be a better and fairer way to book the themed restaurants. A common complaint.

Great for the price we paid (booked on a special deal). Wouldn't pay double for this. Very clean.

Pros: Peak Christmas season but still got a seat at the main buffet. American food - some line-ups. Spanish food - no line-ups! Fresh, tasty seasonal fruit at every meal.

Amazing staff, perfect weather and vibrant resort atmosphere.

Pros: The staff went above and beyond to make sure our vacation was top notch.

Cons: The WiFi was spotty at best and there were days when we didn't have hot water for hours at a time, inconveniently they were peak showers times. There was a foul smell like backed up sewer for many of the days we were there which made our time at the pool somewhat unpleasant

Amazing, relaxing stay!

Pros: Absolutely loved the modern updates to the hotel! The pool, the room itself and all the facilities were amazing. The buffet features amazing food options, very seafood heavy, but also offers lots of vegetarian meals. There are splash pads for little kids and big kids too which is amazing. The sprawling property features multiple swim up bars and snack bars too.

Cons: Wifi is extremely weak, and the remote location of the property means that getting 5G signal is a challenge. This made it extremely hard for us to figure out plans in the face of potential flight cancellations due to bad weather. Whilst there are specialty restaurants, you cannot book them in advance which means there are people lining up for a table from 5pm onwards.

Great holiday in a beautiful surroundings, an almost perfect 5 nights away

Pros: We loved the food options, the pools, the kids club, the evening entertainment (apart from the Neon party, which was really boring), the room and the staff were really friendly

Cons: I was overcharged for my room, which was disappointing... only by $40 or so, but several other guests I spoke to experienced the same thing. I've complained about it several times, as did other guests, but none of us heard back from the hotel. It's probably just one member of staff scamming guests, it puts us off returning but the vast majority of staff were lovely and trustworthy

Worth the price for Costa Rica

Pros: We were very satisfied with our stay at Rio Guanacaste. The hotel fully met our expectations, both from what we read on Booking.com and in reality. We stayed in a renovated room in a new building — it was spacious and comfortable. The food quality was consistently good across breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a wide variety to choose from. Nothing extraordinary, but everyone will find something they like. The staff works hard, they’re friendly and responsive, always trying to help and move quickly. Cleanliness is well maintained, even when the hotel is busy. We also really liked the location — the beachfront is beautiful, the pools are great, and the bar service was solid. Nothing over-the-top, but overall a great value for the price. It’s slightly expensive for Latin America, but reasonable considering Costa Rica is one of the pricier countries in the region - its OK.

Cons: The only minor issues were a slightly noisy AC system and the fact that the bathroom ventilation never turns off, but these didn’t affect our overall experience.

I already recommended this place for my family, it is excellent vacation at RIU Guanacaste

Pros: I can say everything was good to excellent, food has very good varieties everyday, pools were very good end of March and beginning of April the weather was excellent, everyday activities were nice, services during the restaurants were so good. Beach very good and clean warm water

Cons: I didn’t like the road from Airport to the resort (RIU Guanacaste) hardly paved with bumps. Room supplies Shampoo and body wash not good and sometimes missing. Flushing water in our bathroom was slow and not okay. Air condition was barely okay. Elevators of the main building needs all a replacement

We had a fantastic day and will definitely return

Pros: There is nothing at this resort that I didn’t love! The staff are all very lovely, kind, and very helpful. It was our second time there, and the staff from the year before remembered us. We felt like we were at home. The food was exceptional, as always, and loved the entertainment.

Cons: The only thing I could say that could be improved on is ensuring that the mini fridge is stocked daily. It was a little annoying, having to go down to the front counter to get water every day. Other than that everything was perfect.

fun

Pros: the staff , location many facilities/ quick problems solutions /

Cons: half of the jacuzzi was not working properly .. little bad Smeal in the room (maybe from wet season) /

Good option when travelling with kids

Pros: The staff are great. They went out of their way to accommodate us, for example by changing our room to a quieter zone of the hotel and in helping us organizing a small party for our daughter's birthday (thanks, Franklin!). The location of the hotel is lovely as well, and the sea is great for bodyboarding and if you are lucky you might see whales from the beach. The waterpark is a great plus for kids (and daddies who still want to feel like a kid).

Cons: The facilities are a bit outdated. Although our room was really comfy, the toilet got clogged a bit too often and there were issues with the only elevator in our part of the building. (So at least we got a decent workout every other day coming.) The food was varied but it can be quite busy at the sit-in restaurants (which means standing in line at 17:40 to secure a spot for the 18:00 sitting). And probably something mentioned by most people: the road leading to the hotel definitely needs some maintenance. Too many potholes...